Guardians of Stone (The Relic Seekers)

by Clenney, Anita

  Nathan jumped inside the hole and checked for a pulse. The man wasn’t dead yet but would be soon. He’d lost too much blood. Nathan was surprised when the man gripped his hand.

  “Stop him. Can’t let him find it.”

  Nathan bent closer. “Who?”

  “Imposter. They’re in danger.” He gripped Nathan’s hand harder, panic rising in his face as he fought death.

  He wouldn’t win. The man’s beard was coming loose. Was he the imposter? “Tell me your name.”

  He yanked something from his chest and pressed it into Nathan’s hand. “Tell her I love her. Tell her...” He pulled in a quick, shallow breath. “I’m sorry...”

  He was dead.

  Nathan pulled his hand from the dead man’s and turned it over, looking at the object resting on his palm. His heart sank. It was the cross he’d given Kendall. They must mean Kendall and Jake. What had he done? Adrenaline surged through his body, but he pushed it back. He couldn’t let it happen here. He had to stay calm.

  He slipped the cross in his pocket and put on driving gloves. He searched the man’s pockets for ID. There was none. He picked up the leather bag. Whatever had been in it was gone. Then he felt a thin book at the bottom of the bag. He pulled it out and saw that it was a journal. The shocking thing was that it was exactly like the one in his dream. He couldn’t explain why, but he brought it to his nose, inhaling the familiar smell of the leather. He flipped it open and saw sketches and words written in code. Flashes shot through his head and for a moment he saw a man’s face, then a girl’s, neither of them clear. Flipping through the pages, he noticed one had been torn out.

  Voices sounded on the street. He had to leave before he was seen. He stuck the journal in his pocket and hurried from the graveyard, escaping by the same gate the murderer had used. Someone else would have to call the police. The dead man was beyond help, but if he didn’t hurry, Kendall might be next. Nathan prayed it wasn’t already too late.

  It took him half an hour to find Jake and Kendall’s car. Even though it was still burning, enough remained of the vehicle that he recognized the BMW Jake had rented after exchanging the Maserati. He tried to get closer—dreading, desperate—to see if they were inside, but the fire was too hot. He lost control then. He threw his head back and roared with rage until he was numb. He threw his fist, and heard a tree splinter. Why had he sent them? This wasn’t like the other hunts. He’d known that from the start. His desperation for the box had cost her life. Now, he’d lost her and the box. Without both, he might as well be dead. He sat down and leaned against a tree, his body numb as he stared helplessly at the flames.

  He would have to deal with the authorities. Money would make things go smoothly. The only family Kendall had left was her aunt. Her father was dead. Had been for a long time. Jake...He had no one. Just like Nathan. He had Fergus, but not flesh and blood. All three of them were alone. Now only he was left. Along with Fergus, they had been the closest thing he had to a family. He rubbed his hands over his face. They would have probably been shocked to hear it. Especially Jake.

  When the flames had lessened and his blood had calmed, he clenched his jaw and moved closer to the car, steeling himself for what he would find. It was still too hot to get close, but it was clear that there were no bodies inside. They couldn’t have been in the car when it exploded. Relief made him feel weightless.

  Then where were they? If they left the car, they must be on foot. He heard a noise behind him and saw someone dart into the trees. “Kendall?”

  There was no answer, so he took off in pursuit, following the moving leaves. Whoever was running away may have witnessed the blast. Or set the explosive device. He heard a scraping sound and the trail ended at a large rock as tall as a man. On closer examination, he noticed a mark etched into the stone in the shape of a circle. Like the one on the back of the cross. This place must belong to the secret order. Kendall and Jake had done it. They’d found the group. A faint line edged the mark. A button? Nathan pushed and the rock started to move with the same scraping sound he’d heard a minute ago. Light spilled out from the opening. Nathan crept forward and saw that steps had been cut into the rock. Cautiously, he descended and found himself in a lighted tunnel.

  There were two sets of railroad tracks. An old railcar with a hand pump waited on one of the lines. He could hear something moving in the tunnel ahead of him. He put his hand on the rails and felt the tremor. Whoever was running from him had taken the other railcar.

  He climbed inside and pumped the handle. It started moving, slowly at first, but quickly gained speed. The tunnel appeared to start out as a cave. Then it changed to dirt walls reinforced by wood and stone. Drips of moisture on the walls indicated a spring nearby. Within minutes, he reached the end of the line. The second car was there.

  Nearby was a small wooden door in the wall. It wasn’t locked. Pulling a knife from his pocket, he eased the door open and peered inside. A small hallway led to another door, also unlocked. He opened it and stepped into a room. The early morning light came through the windows that stretched from the first floor to the second, showing ancient weapons and paintings on the walls. This must be the castle. A door closed somewhere above him and he thought he heard singing. He started to turn when he caught sight of a statue outside. He moved toward the window in a daze. It couldn’t be. He heard the singing again, closer now, and whirled. An old man stood at the top of the stairs, wearing a brown robe like a monk’s. White hair framed a face that looked ancient, but his eyes were bright. He smiled.

  “You’re here.”

  “Let’s do this quietly,” Kendall said. It was after seven o’clock. She hoped everyone was still asleep. She and Brandi got Jake out of the car, balancing him between them. He was half-unconscious and still fussing about the hospital.

  “Shhh, we’re not going to the hospital,” Kendall promised.

  They eased inside, moving as quietly as they could across the lobby. Together, they propped Jake against a wall, with Kendall supporting him while Brandi checked to see if the coast was clear. Her understanding of their wish for secrecy was as confusing as her showing up at the exact moment they needed a ride, like some kind of fairy godmother.

  Brandi peered around the corner. “Come on.” They got three steps up the stairs and Jake started wobbling between them. They had to stop before all three of them fell.

  “I’m losing him,” Kendall said. “Hold on a second.” She readjusted her hold, getting a better grip on him. “You push him from behind.”

  Brandi moved into place, making sure he didn’t fall backward. They got to the top of the stairs with Jake slouched over on Kendall, and Brandi prodding and supporting from behind.

  “We made it,” Kendall said.

  A door opened and Loretta’s head popped out, her hair wrapped in curlers. “Good Lord. Is Jason drunk?”

  Brandi started to speak, but Kendall quickly interrupted. “He fell and hit his head.”

  “On his honeymoon, poor thing,” Loretta said. “Gilbert, come quick. Jason needs help.” She raised enough commotion that the entire floor gathered in the hallway before Kendall and Brandi got Jake to the door.

  Roberto came up the stairs, wearing striped pajamas, his face aghast. “You went to that place? I knew it. What happened? You look like you’ve been rolling in dirt.”

  “We went camping,” Kendall said. “He fell while we were hiking.”

  “What happened to you?” he asked.

  “I had to rescue him.”

  “By yourself?” Roberto sniffed. “Is his hair singed?”

  “We had a campfire.”

  “We were worried when you didn’t come back.” Roberto said. “I thought something horrible had happened.”

  “The car broke down. It wouldn’t start.”

  Brandi gave Kendall a sharp glance but didn’t contradict her. She helped Kendall maneuver Jake toward the bedroom, while Roberto, Gilbert, and Loretta called out directions as if they were moving a grand pia
no. He was nearly as heavy. “Open the bedroom door,” Kendall said, panting.

  “Where is the key?” Roberto asked.

  “It’s in my bag. Here, you take this side.” She exchanged places with Roberto and dug in her bag for her room key. Jake opened his eyes, looked at Roberto and tried to pull free.

  “Hold on,” Kendall said. “We’re almost there.” Jake had already slumped again, dead weight.

  “I can’t hold him,” Roberto groaned, sagging lower.

  Gilbert moved around to help, and Roberto shifted in front of Jake to keep him from toppling over. Loretta grabbed him by the back of the belt as Kendall opened the door. They all staggered across the room and Jake fell across the bed, landing on Roberto. After they dug the innkeeper out from under Jake, they stood around the bed.

  “You think he’ll be OK?” Loretta asked. One curler was dangling over her ear.

  “He could have a concussion,” Brandi said. “I’ll get my medical bag. Roberto, get some ice.” She hurried from the room.

  Roberto frowned, straightening his pajamas. “Shouldn’t he see a doctor?”

  “He doesn’t like doctors,” Kendall said.

  Kendall was a little leery about letting Brandi check Jake out, but she was a nurse, supposedly, and she had rescued them. If she had wanted to hurt them, she would have done it without a roomful of witnesses.

  Roberto went for ice and Brandi returned with a bag. She took out a small light and gently patted Jake’s cheek until he opened his eyes. He tried to get up.

  Kendall leaned over him, putting her hands on his shoulders. “It’s OK,” she whispered.

  His eyes locked on hers and he lifted his hand to her face. He looked dazed, but he lay back and let Brandi check him.

  “I don’t think he has a concussion,” she said. “He must have a tough skull.” She removed the bandage Kendall had put on and inspected the wound. “It isn’t too deep. He could get sutures, but most men wouldn’t bother. I’ll clean it and put ice on it. When was his last tetanus shot?”

  “Uh...” A wife should know this. “I can’t remember.”

  “When he wakes, ask him.”

  “Good thing we have a nurse here,” Loretta said.

  When Brandi was finished, she handed Kendall four pills. “Give him two of these for pain. You take two as well. You look like you need them.”

  “We should get him out of those clothes before they ruin the covers,” Roberto said, looking at Jake as if he wouldn’t mind the task.

  “Ke...Kara can take care of that.” Brandi glanced at her watch, as she’d done several times since they arrived. She seemed anxious to leave. “Let’s go so they can rest. I’ll stop by and check on him later. Keep him in bed.”

  Brandi gathered her things and left. The others reluctantly followed. Kendall stood by the bed watching Jake. He looked vulnerable with his head bandaged and his face and hands dirty against the white sheet. He’d taken the brunt of the blast to protect her. Her eyes started to sting. She touched his dirty hand. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  He gently squeezed her fingers.

  “Jake, are you awake? We need to get you out of these clothes.”

  He didn’t answer with a smart remark or even open his eyes, so she knew he’d drifted off. Jake wouldn’t have missed an opportunity like that. She sighed and considered where to start undressing him.

  She started at the safest place, his boots. After she’d removed them, she reached for his shirt, which smelled burnt. Getting it over his broad shoulders wasn’t easy. For one thing, she had to touch all that masculine skin. His chest was intimidating, damned near perfect. She swallowed and looked at his jeans, dreading this part. She didn’t know why she was so bothered. She’d already seen everything. Maybe that was why; she knew what was underneath. She unbuckled and unzipped him. Holding his underwear in place with one hand, she pulled and tugged—forced to touch areas way too intimate for her to be touching—until the jeans were off. She could only imagine what he would say if he were awake.

  She got a cloth from the bathroom and cleaned his face and hands. He’d sacrificed himself to save her. There was more to Jake Stone than just a smart-ass flirt. It made her wonder if he had always been this tough. What his childhood was like. If she looked deep enough, she might find out for herself, but she tried not to read lives if she could help it. It was like stealing. She usually limited her prying to objects...when it was within her control.

  She tucked the covers around him and went to close the curtains, so the daylight wouldn’t disturb his sleep. Through the window, she saw Brandi hurrying up to the inn with a big tote over her shoulder. She’d certainly left quickly. She had seemed distracted.

  Puzzling over the nurse, Kendall went to bathroom to clean up. Her reflection in the mirror told her that she looked worse than Jake. There was a spot of red on her cheek. Blood? She leaned closer and swiped it off with her finger. Her head started buzzing.

  They ran through the woods. Some of the girls were crying. She was whispering to them to be quiet, but it wasn’t her voice. It was a man’s. Shouts came from behind them and everyone started to scream. They’d been caught. She looked back and saw a man raise a gun. She heard a blast and felt the bullet pierce her body as blackness fell.

  The vision left as quickly as it came. She was herself again, if a little jarred. Jake’s blood must have been triggered one of his memories. What had happened to him? She couldn’t explain why she’d had the vision now and not earlier when she was bandaging his wound and cleaning him up. Another quirk of her frustrating gift.

  The bathtub tempted Kendall from the corner, yet energy from the past hovered over it like a cloud. She started toward the shower, frustrated that she couldn’t take a blasted bath because of all these memories that weren’t even hers. It wasn’t fair. After a moment, she turned from the shower and instead reached for the faucet on the bathtub and cranked on the water. Someone had died in there, but she was alive and she was dirty.

  Stripping, she eased into the hot water. The bruises were starting to show. She blanked out the whispers from the past and let the warmth soak into aching muscles. She was about to get out when the door opened and Jake stepped in. They were both surprised. She covered herself with her hands and he looked away.

  “Didn’t know you were in here.” He looked so lousy she knew it wasn’t an act.

  “I thought I locked the door,” she said, slipping lower in the water. “Are you OK?”

  He leaned against the counter. “I need a shower. Feels like I’m covered in bones.”

  “I’ll get out and help you.”

  He attempted a weak leer but gave up. “What about you?” he asked. “You’ve got some bad bruises.”

  She nodded, embarrassed that he’d seen them.

  “You could’ve been killed,” he said.

  “I wasn’t, thanks to you.”

  “That’s what I’m here for. To guard your body. If you’re done, I’m going to start the shower so it’s hot.” He walked past her, but had to stop after a few feet. He sat on the toilet and rested his head in his hands. “Maybe not.”

  “You shouldn’t be out of bed.”

  “I’ll get back in after I shower. Uh, did you undress me?”

  “Yes. I didn’t want to ruin the sheets. Why?”

  “Just wanted to make sure it wasn’t Roberto.”

  Kendall smiled. “Are you going to leave so I can get out?”

  “I’d rather sit here. I won’t look. Promise.”

  She reached for a towel and held it as a cover as she stood. True to his word, he didn’t lift his head. She started to think he’d fallen asleep when he spoke.

  “You decent?” His voice was muffled.

  She wrapped the towel around her and let the water out of the tub. “Sort of,” she said, moving toward the door.

  He stood and winced.

  “You should see a doctor, and that cut needs to be stitched or it’ll scar.”

  “Chicks
dig scars, right?”

  It would be a shame to mar that beautiful forehead, she thought, even though he had other scars—little ones here and there: in front of his ear, at the top of his thumb. Maybe it added character, but one that size could easily get infected.

  “If you’re so worried about it leaving a scar, fix it yourself.”

  “Sew up that cut? I don’t think so.”

  “Don’t need to sew it. I have superglue in my pack.”

  She’d used it on cuts, but that was in the desert when the closest doctor was over one hundred miles away.

  Jake reached for the shower and turned it on.

  “Maybe you should take a bath instead. You don’t look very steady.”

  “I’ve been hurt worse than this. I think I can manage a shower.”

  “You’ll probably drown.”

  “Then you’ll be rid of me,” he said, stripping off his underwear.

  She hurried out and quickly got dressed, listening for any crashes coming from the bathroom, but all was quiet. His backpack was on a chair. The first-aid kit was tucked in a side pocket. She pulled it out and saw a piece of paper behind it. It must be the warning note that Thomas had written at the hotel.

  “Find what you were looking for?” Jake stepped into the room wearing his usual towel.

  “Sorry, I was getting the superglue.” She held it up. “See.”

  Frowning, he walked to the bed and sat down. His eyes looked tired.

  Kendall put his backpack on the floor and moved the chair closer to the bed. “You look rotten.”

  “You don’t.” He leaned back against the pillows. “You going to read a book to me?”

  “I’m going to fix your cut.” She sat down and opened the kit. It had bandages, antiseptic, thread, needles, and superglue. She took a breath and hoped touching his injury now wouldn’t have the same effect his blood had had in the bathroom. She pulled the old bandage off. Not much blood now anyway, but it must still hurt. “I’m sorry about your head.”